


Star

by spoffyumi



Series: Gimme Shelter one-shots [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Dog training, Dogs, M/M, Service Dogs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-01
Updated: 2015-07-01
Packaged: 2018-04-07 05:26:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4251045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spoffyumi/pseuds/spoffyumi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A one-shot based off of <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/3902671/chapters/8733076">Gimme Shelter</a>.  I hope it works as a stand-alone?</p><p>Bucky's been looking for a retired military service dog for Steve, but the one he brings home needs a little work.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Star

The German Shepherd had only been at the shelter for two days, and Nick was already insisting she had to be put down. 

“Look, Barnes, I know you have a hard on for this fucking dog, but you gotta face facts: this animal is not safe.” 

“She hasn’t bitten anyone,” Bucky protested. 

“Yet,” Nick said. 

Bucky gave an exasperated sigh and looked out toward the kennels. They’d had to put Star in the far corner, and she barked and lunged at anyone who came near her. She was barking now. 

“She just needs some time to acclimate,” Bucky said. 

“She was brought in because her owner couldn’t handle her. Couldn’t make a connection. You think you’re the dog whisperer, so does everyone else here. No one’s been able to get close to that animal since she was brought in. She still has the leash clipped on her, did you see that?” 

Of course he’d seen it. He’d spent all yesterday evening sitting outside Star’s cage, rambling on in a soothing voice, just to see if she’d eventually get used to his presence. 

She had barked and growled at him the whole time. 

He chewed his cheek. “I’ll put on the padding and take her out.” 

Nick held up his hands. “No. That is a workman’s comp nightmare waiting to happen. The owner knew when she surrendered that animal that she’d most likely end up put down. It’s a hard decision, but it’s going to happen. I’m warning you in advance.” 

Bucky set his jaw. “Then I’ll adopt her.” 

“Barnes.” Nick closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“No. I’ll adopt her. I have plenty of space for her, an outdoor pen she can live in until...” 

“Until you have to bring her back here and she still has to be put down! Barnes, don’t take this on. Please. I am begging you here.” 

To hear Nick beg, that was something. But Bucky couldn’t take his advice. He couldn’t see another animal euthanized, not after the last time. He’d already adopted two cats that were in danger of being put down. One of them had one eye and Bucky had named it Little Nicky. The other, Queenie, was an ancient Persian fast losing her hair. She had a special pillow on the armchair and didn’t move from it unless Steve or Bucky picked her up. Anytime anyone came near her she meowed crankily, probably from the suppositories Bucky had to give her twice daily. 

By the end of the day, Bucky had signed the papers and with the help of Nick, Phil, and Maria, he had managed to get Star into a dog crate and into Phil’s car. 

“Steve know you’re bringing a new dog home?” Phil asked as he drove Bucky to the farmhouse Steve and Bucky had been sharing for three months now. 

Bucky had been clutching his cell phone in his pocket. “Not quite.” He should text Steve. He should. He hadn’t told Steve about the new dog last night, though. Of course when Star had been brought in he’d immediately thought of Niko, the dog that had served alongside Steve in Afghanistan. Only a few minutes later Star proved that it would take a lot of work to make her anything like Niko. 

“Don’t you think you might want to give him a little warning?” 

Bucky frowned. Steve had seemed okay when Bucky had brought home Little Nicky and Queenie. And Steve had adopted Cheddar, their little brown and white bulldog, for him. Cheddar seemed to enjoy the company of the cats. He was less concerned with Steve’s reaction than how Star and Cheddar would get along. 

“It’ll be fine.” 

At the farmhouse, Bucky and Phil carried the dog crate into the backyard. Steve and Bucky had built a pen for Cheddar in the back, compete with the stereotypical red doghouse. It was mostly for the days when Steve and Bucky both had to work long days and Bucky had his evening classes and couldn’t take Cheddar into work with him. Most other days, Bucky just brought Cheddar into the animal shelter and let him run loose in the play yard. 

“Are we putting her in with Cheddar?” Phil asked. 

Cheddar was wagging his stumpy little tail, seeing that Bucky was home. He yipped a little at the scent of the new dog. In response, Star growled and let loose a series of harsh barks. Cheddar licked his jowls and sat down, his big brown eyes wanting Bucky to comfort him. 

“Uh, I guess we could put her in the barn.” 

The barn wasn’t exactly in the best condition. Steve spent most of the summer working on the interior of the house and getting it prepped for the coming cold season. But Bucky had seen the inside... as Steve was fucking him up against one of the support posts (it had been one of their goals to christen every room in the farmhouse). The structure was sound, even if it was full of junk and dangling spider webs. One of the old horse stalls should be fine for now. 

It took some doing to maneuver the crate into one of the stalls. Then Bucky donned the thick dog training gloves he’d borrowed from the shelter. 

"Do you want me to stay?" Phil asked cautiously. 

"I don't think she'll bite," said Bucky, although he wasn't entirely confident - hence the gloves. "Just close the stall door while I open the crate." 

Phil did so and watched through the iron bars as Bucky opened the crate. The dog barrelled out with a snarl and spun to face Bucky, snarling. 

"Okay," Bucky crooned. "It's okay." He reached forward slowly and pulled the crate toward him. He used it as a barrier as he backed up to the stall door and slid it open, then stepped out of the stall and took the crate with him. He was able to shut the stall door without Star trying to escape. 

"Yeah," Phil said, exhaling. "Good luck with that one." 

Bucky wasn't sure exactly how he was going to make this work. There was a space among the bars meant for dropping scoops of grain into feed buckets below, but at some point he was going to have to get close to Star, if he wanted to be able to work with her at all. 

He walked with Phil back up to the driveway and thanked him, and Phil was just pulling out when Steve arrived home. Good thing, otherwise Phil would have talked Steve's ear off for an hour. "Hey," said Steve. He noticed Bucky's gloves. "Do we have another addition to our little zoo?" 

"Uh, yeah." Bucky wasn't entirely sure how to say it, so he did what he did best and just blurted it out. "They were gonna put her down, but I couldn't let them. She's like Niko." 

Steve froze at the name. 

"Her name is Star," Bucky added desperately. "We put her in the barn. She's... uh... she's..." 

The loud, vicious barks coming up from the barn finished the sentence for him. 

Bucky saw the walls go up behind Steve's eyes. Steve had never liked talking about his time in Afghanistan, or about Niko, and only did talk about it when Bucky insisted. His stomach sank. Maybe he'd totally misjudged what Steve wanted, what he'd been looking for that first day he walked into the animal shelter. Maybe he didn't want a dog _just like Niko_. After all these months together, times like this made Bucky worry that he'd done something to completely fuck up his relationship with Steve. 

"They were gonna put her down. And she hasn't bit anyone or anything, she's just really aggressive, but I'm sure she'll turn around, they said the soldier who trained her was killed in combat and his widow wanted to adopt her but she has little kids and she couldn't and they were gonna put her down--" 

Steve put his hand on Bucky's neck and gave his cheek a little stroke with his thumb. "I understand, Buck. Let's go have a look at her." 

So that's what they did. Bucky stopped by Cheddar's pen to let him out, and the little dog scurried along at his heels, nose plastered to Bucky's jeans trying to get a handle on the new dog scent. 

He hung back while Steve approached the stall and looked inside. The barking stopped, and for a split second Bucky thought everything was going to work, then Star began snarling and growling again. And Steve said nothing. 

_Fuck_ , Bucky thought. _Fuck fuck fuck_. 

"I'll, um, go get dinner started?" Bucky said, backing up. Steve didn't move, didn't look at him - didn't look away from the dog either. "Cheddar, come." The bulldog reluctantly followed his command. 

He tried not to let himself get worked up. He'd been much better about controlling his anxiety lately, but he could feel that old jittery feeling come back as he put the chicken in the oven and starting chopping vegetables to steam. The veggies were the product of another of Steve and Bucky's projects, a little garden that was currently keeping them in an endless supply of squash and zucchini. 

When Steve came in from the barn, he didn't say anything about Star, and Bucky didn't ask. They talked about their days at work and about Natasha and Bruce's upcoming Halloween party, but when Bucky fed the cats and Cheddar and poured some kibble into a regular old soup bowl for the new dog, Steve wordlessly took the bowl from him and disappeared into the barn for an hour. 

This sort of thing went on for the next week. Bucky tried to let Steve have his space, but he did ask Steve if he wanted any help and Steve just looked away and quietly said no. 

So Bucky left him alone. 

Bucky missed chatting with Steve while they both prepared dinner. He missed making out with Steve during the evening news. Even though Steve came back inside when it grew dark, he was more subdued than usual, and Bucky was having a hard time concentrating on his schoolwork for all his worrying. 

"Are you okay?" he asked finally. It was Friday night, and they had just climbed into bed. 

"I'm fine," Steve said in a hollow voice. 

"No, you're not." Bucky propped himself up on one elbow and looked down at Steve's face in the faint moonlight seeping through the curtains. "Talk to me." 

"I don't know, Buck," Steve said. "I don't know how to help her." 

"She seems to be barking less," Bucky tried. 

Steve didn't say anything. 

He looked down. "I'm sorry. I should have asked you before I brought her home. I just thought..." 

"I know." He felt Steve's hand on his arm. Then they were kissing and making love for the first time all week, and Bucky took comfort in knowing that Steve still loved him, no matter what might happen with Star. 

A few days later, Steve came back into the house while Bucky was struggling over his animal anatomy homework. "She let me sit in the stall with her," he told Bucky breathlessly. "I've been opening the door just a crack to set out her food, and then I've been trying to keep the door open wider and wider and just sit there, and today, I sat down inside the stall with her, and she didn't bark at me. I mean," Steve went on, "of course I was going in and cleaning up. She usually watched me the whole time but she hasn't been growling anymore. I just talk to her and I think I'm really starting to get through to her." 

Then it seemed every day Steve had new progress with Star. Bucky loved hearing it, and offered suggestions when Steve asked, explaining about aggression in dogs and pack dominance. 

Now Bucky could see Steve from the back porch, walking with Star up and down the barn aisles. At first he used the leash, but Star was so obedient, he began walking her free. Next he wanted Star to meet Cheddar. Bucky had been careful to keep Cheddar inside while Steve was with Star, but when he wasn't, he knew Cheddar was out there sniffing around. 

"Do you think Star's ready for that?" Bucky asked. 

Steve nodded. "Put Cheddar on his leash and bring him out on the porch." 

Bucky did, and stood waiting anxiously as Steve went into the barn. 

"What d'ya think, boy?" Bucky asked the dog. "You think you can handle having a sister?" 

Cheddar just looked up at him with that wide, lolling mouth. 

When Steve came out, Star close at his heels, Bucky could hardly believe it was the same dog. Star's ears were perked forward and her eyes bright. She moved along sedately. 

Of course Star already knew Cheddar's scent, but even still, Bucky had expected her to strain forward - it was something all dogs did. Cheddar pulled on his leash now, tail wagging. It took Bucky a minute to remember that even for all Star's bad behavior, she had been trained for the military. 

Steve was grinning as they approached. He got close enough that Star could reach her head forward and sniff at Cheddar, and Cheddar reared up a little and barked happily. Of course Cheddar was thrilled with a new friend, but Bucky was waiting for any reaction from Star. 

Slowly, cautiously, Star's tail started wagging. 

"Good girl," Steve crooned, and scratched between her ears. Star, with a panting open smile, gazed up at Steve adoringly. 

"Wow," Bucky said, impressed. "Here I thought I was the dog trainer in this relationship." 

Steve shrugged, but looked pleased with himself. "They seem to like each other. Think we can let them off the leashes for a bit?" 

"Sure." As soon as Bucky unclipped Cheddar, he ran out into the yard, spun around, and lowered his chest to the ground with his tail wagging high in the air. 

Star didn't move when her leash was removed. Steve patted her side. "It's okay, girl," he whispered. "Go play." With a little look back at him, Star jogged off and was soon running around with Cheddar. She kept her pace slow so the little dog could keep up, and batted him away gently when he jumped up to wrestle with her. 

"So, Mr. Dog-Whisperer, what's your secret?" Bucky asked, standing shoulder to shoulder with Steve on the porch. 

Steve smiled. Bucky felt Steve's hand twine with his. "I'll never tell."


End file.
